The road to Aftican glory has narrowed to four teams in each division at the CAF African Schools Football Championship with the semi-final fixtures officially confirmed for Thursday, 9 April, at Gateway High School in Harare, Zimbabwe.
After several days of intense group-stage action, the young stars will now turn their attention to a place in the final.
In the girls’ competition, defending champions Ghana remain firmly on course to retain their crown. The West African side has shown composure and quality throughout their title defence, and they now prepare for a crucial semi-final encounter against Zambia, who have impressed with good performances.
The other semi-final in the girls’ bracket features a clash between Morocco and Burkina Faso. Both teams have emerged as genuine contenders.
Morocco will look to impose their rhythm, while Burkina Faso aim to continue their surprise run and upset the established order. The winners of these two matches will meet in the final to decide the African Champion.
The boys’ tournament has already produced a major storyline. For the first time in the championship’s history, a new winner will be crowned. Two-time champions Tanzania exited the competition earlier than expected, leaving the door wide open for a fresh name to be etched onto the trophy.
Last season’s runners-up, Senegal, remain firmly in contention. The Senegalese side has carried their experience from the previous final into this year’s campaign, and they will face Morocco in what promises to be a tightly contested semi-final. On the other side of the draw, Uganda take on Benin, two countries that have steadily built momentum and shown they possess the attacking threat and defensive resolve required to go all the way.
All four semi-finals will be played on Thursday at Gateway High School, with the girls taking the pitch first. Morocco and Burkina Faso will kick off at 10:00am followed by Zambia’s clash with Ghana at 11:40am
The boys then take centre stage: Uganda meet Benin at 1:30pm before Morocco face Senegal in the day’s final semi-final at 3:00pm